Time's Message
by ColourInfinity
Summary: What if Voldemort had never gone to the Potters' house? What if James and Lily were never killed beacuse He never came? What if Voldemort's spell had never backfired on Harry? How would the future try to fix the past? *Complete* Please R&R!!!


Disclaimer: Not mine. *Sigh* JKR's. All of it. *Sigh again*  
  
What if Voldemort had never gone to the Potter's house? What if James and Lily were never killed trying to protect Harry? And what if Voldemort's spell had never backfired on him? How would the future deal with the past?  
  
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"Are you absolutely certain about this, sir?" Severus Snape asked, his voice full of doubt. "If this message were to get into the wrong hands-"  
  
"I know, Severus."  
  
"But are you sure that we can trust this prophecy? It's over a hundred years old! Long before the time of You-Know-Who's reign!"  
  
"I'm aware, Severus. But think of what will happen if we do not send this message."  
  
Severus Snape paused. Lord Voldemort had had the Wizarding world in the grip of a dictatorship for nearly 30 years. No one had been able to stop his rise into power. There was an underground resistance trying to stop him - but it wasn't very successful, to say the least. Voldemort had eyes and ears everywhere and very few dared to oppose him. And now, Dumbledore was proposing this crazy scheme -  
  
"But sir! If this warning reaches the hands of You-Know-Who, and not yours, or the Potters-"  
  
"They will die anyway, I know. But, if it does reach them, they will be able to take the proper measures to save the boy - and if they do that, countless lives will have been saved."  
  
"Sir. This prophecy has only been discovered in recent years. How can we be sure that it's trustworthy? For all we know it's a hoax! It could lead to a future worse than the one we're trying to save it from! It could-"  
  
"I know very well what it *could* do, Severus. Do you think that I haven't spent countless nights thinking this over? Do you think I haven't gone through every possible thing that could go wrong? The Potters, James, Lily, Harry, they were killed by Death eaters 8 years ago! The prophecy undoubtedly is referring to Harry! If there's a chance, the slightest sliver of hope, that they could be saved-" he paused, and took a breath to calm his nerves before continuing. "If there is the slightest chance that they could be saved, we have to take it. It's the only way that all of this could be prevented!"  
  
He turned and gestured towards the village in the distance. It lay in ruins, a smoldering heap of burnt down buildings. The few that were left standing burned like a horrible beacon in the night air. The bodies of many of the Resistance Fighters littered the grounds, their families along side them. None were alive.  
  
Albus Dumbledore, leader of this resistance, turned back to Severus Snape.  
  
"They could either die 8 years ago at the hands of Death Eaters, or, if this message reaches it's proper destination, they could survive. And alive with them, countless others - families, spared the death and destruction of all this." He motioned behind him. "Don't you understand, Severus? If this prophecy is true, Voldemort will have been defeated by the boy 30 years ago!"  
  
"I understand, sir. We send it then, sir?"  
  
"Yes, Severus. The message contains the Prophecy. I've also said to ensure the protection of the Potter's, especially Harry, at all costs. I've explained that Harry could very well be the one to prevent this atrocity. Voldemort must not find them."  
  
"The Fidelius charm, sir?"  
  
"Yes, I've mentioned that as well."  
  
They were silent.  
  
"How are you going to do it sir? Deliver the message I mean. The past is pretty difficult to reach on a broomstick."  
  
"With this." Dumbledore reached into his pocket, and pulled out what looked like an hourglass on a chain.  
  
"A Time Turner?"  
  
"Yes, Severus. I am going to deliver the message to myself. With the help of my owl of course." He turned and whistled towards the forest nearby. A snowy owl flew down and landed on his shoulder. After tying the note to the bird's leg, Dumbledore turned back to Snape. "I can't go back myself. Two Dumbledore's in one reality could never work." He smiled wryly. "Hedwig here will be sent back, and deliver the message to myself of the past. Hopefully, we will be successful in preventing Voldemort's reign."  
  
Without another word, he pulled the Time Turner over the bird's head, and flipped it over a few times. "Good luck, my dear," he whispered as the bird took off. They watched the bird's outline blur until it disappeared - not because of the distance in between them, but because of the time.  
  
*  
  
The owl flew through air towards the castle. It reached the ledge and landed softly in the snow. It tapped against the window until someone noticed her.  
  
"Why, what's this?" Professor Dumbledore said, opening the window to his office.  
  
"Headmaster?" said a voice from behind him. Dumbledore let the bird swoop into the office before turning back to face the speaker.  
  
"An owl," he stated. Holding up the parchment, and the Time Turner, he continued "With a message."  
  
James and Lily Potter stared at the bird for a moment. Than they looked back at Dumbledore, who was reading the note.  
  
"Goodness," he muttered to himself. "It can't be possible . . ."  
  
"What does it say, sir?" Dumbledore looked up, but not towards James or Lily, but to the baby carriage beside them. He walked over to it and peered down at baby Harry, only 6 months old. He passed the message to Lily and James, then picked the sleeping child up from his blankets and held him in his arms.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" he heard Lily mutter, as she slumped into a chair, hand over her mouth. James put an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Sir, you can't believe this, can you?" he said, looking up at the Headmaster. "It could be a hoax! A trick! It could-"  
  
"I know, James. But that is my signature. And the bird did have a Time Turner with her."  
  
"But sir-"  
  
"James, please." He held up a hand to stop him. "I think it would be for the best to listen to this message. What harm could it do? We're to keep you three safe at all costs. It couldn't be too hard, right?"  
  
James Potter nodded. "What will we do, sir?"  
  
"Use the Fidelius Charm."  
  
"And the secret keeper? Who will we use?"  
  
"Someone you trust with your life, James. Someone who you know would never double cross you."  
  
"Sirius," James and Lily said simultaneously. They looked at each other and grinned. Lily held her arms out for her son.  
  
"For your sake, Harry, I hope this is the right thing to do," she said softly.  
  
"I hope so as well, Lily," Dumbledore said, his eye twinkling. "A mother's love is such a strong bond. I know Harry will be safe with the both of you." He turned to James. "Now, you will need to go into hiding, which shouldn't be too difficult with the charm in place . . ."  
  
He could barely understand the voices inside the office, but Peter Pettigrew still managed to make out what they were saying. He smiled to himself as he listened to the plans of the 3 inside the room. Careful to make no noise, he silently crept down the stairs before he could be caught, and, as quickly as possible, stole away from the castle. To where he was headed, few know, barely any would believe, but it was nonetheless a very important place indeed.  
  
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Wow. That even confused me a little.  
  
Note: I used the same name for Hedwig so that you'd make the connection; I realize it's extremely probable they never had the same name.  
  
Please review!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!  
  
. : * PDT * : . 


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